At least 218 companies have manufactured hard disk drives (HDDs) since 1956. Most of that industry has vanished through bankruptcy or mergers and acquisitions. None of the first several entrants (including IBM, who invented the HDD) continue in the industry today. Only three manufacturers have survived—Seagate, Toshiba and Western Digital (WD)—all of which grew at least in part through mergers and acquisitions.[1]
Manufacturers
The following is a partial list of defunct hard disk manufacturers. There are currently manufacturers in this incomplete list.
See also
- History of hard disk drives
- List of computer hardware manufacturers
- List of hard disk manufacturers
- List of solid-state drive manufacturers
Further reading
References
- History: List of 221 Companies in HDD Manufacturing Since 1956 Computer Data Storage Newsletter, Micro-Journal, March 28, 2013^
- Steve Gross. 3M says it plans to give up making disk-drive units Star Tribune, August 10, 1983^
- Alps to sell hard-disk head assets to rival TDK